What I look for at London Fashion Week

So London Fashion Week is back and of course there has been a flurry of excitement from media to the street.
This season I was interested in scouting out ideas and getting to know more about what goes on every season. From student to audience member to press to business head, I have been developing my taste in this mad mad world.

I began with a Fashion Tech talk at the Conde Nast College which was completely worth going to - if only to say that I've been to *the* Conde Nast College. I booked my ticket before Christmas and it was a great little surprise to find in my diary. I went to this talk looking for:

Ideas & inspiration.

Contacts - you never know who you will meet.

Information - what are the best things to know about right now from actual innovators.

It was totally worth the wait and I took a lot from it, if just for the networking and pitching experience. Watch people's body language when they're at the front of a room. How do they hold themselves? Where is their eye line? We pick it all up.

Would I go to something like this again? Yes! 100% worth it.

London Fashion Week Festival - Thursday evening.

Ok, so this was pretty special for me because I've been working literally down the street from LFW this season! It's been pretty awesome being in the buzz working in Somerset House. I've been out in the courtyard at lunch time and you see some really awesome sights. Models having their pics taken, interviews, everything!

At first I was very unsure about buying a ticket for LFW Fest because of my money situation, but I knew I would kick myself if I didn't. When is my office ever going to be *this* close to something so wonderful again!? (Watch this space).

I am VERY happy I have a tiny hole in my pocket right now. I watched a couple of Insta stories of people travelling over Waterloo Bridge and felt smug that all I had to do was walk five minutes down the road.

For me, it was SO wonderful to be immersed back in the Fashion world again! I miss the creativity and the wonder of it. The expression. What I looked for on this occasion was:

Ideas & inspiration.

People-watching - it's SO interesting! You can really tell who is faking it and who is authentically there for something. Who is putting on a show and who is authentically present. It made me chuckle to myself.

To watch a designer show - for the experience of having done it. (I would never bother with a Trends show: buy a magazine or go on YouTube and save the dollar!).

Contacts - aside from the elites, I had had my eye on a couple of brands already and knew who I wanted to speak to. I found it interesting to get to know how the designers and company owners are in reality.

Makeovers - it's great to get tips! I went for a touch-up rather than makeover at the Maybelline stand and was intrigued to see what the MUA would do. Being a person who prefers a more natural look with bold lipstick, I didn't enjoy the angle she put on my eyebrows and the fact she put mascara on my bottom lashes. But other than that the concealer was just what I needed and I can't believe how good contour looks on your eyes!

I didn't bother with:

Photobooths - if I had been with a friend, I'm sure I would have said differently. But with Instagram and Snapchat, I didn't see much personal point for the many booths that were available at Maybelline, label.m and Sunglasses Hut. But yes, for the companies it probably made sense.

Buying stuff. There is a whole floor decked out with designer sample sales and while some of the items were goooooorgeous, I just don't want to "buy stuff" for the sake of a label. I want to buy something with meaning - and with actual money.

The talks - for me, I find talks in this industry unnecessary as most people tend to know what is being said. I almost went for the Industry Influencers talk, but I worried it would be too generic.

Would I go again? If I was officially invited or a friend wanted to go, yes. Otherwise it's not going to be on my radar again next season.

And that's everything up to date for me so far. This lunch time we're headed to the Burberry Maker House, next week I'll be going to the Mulberry Sample Sale and then also a very exciting trip on Monday!

Thank you for your feedback on Twitter about the types of photos you prefer, it has been noted and I will make sure I take more OOTDs.